the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we went on  an outing to 
 the glass factory  that bore  our family 
 name.  it had changed owners  many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned   for   a  long  while. 
 finally,  the  natural  end  station for 
 the  buildings  that survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there are  two  main factory  buildings, 
 domed things  of several floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of    some     cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of course,  large and 
 leaded, and  ashen. a bit too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures of  my great 
 great  great  grandfather, or something. 
 various  tools (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a  lot of 
 glass     of      varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly  sneak out, and climb into the 
 other   building.    the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a   long   time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over  the  floor.   no 
 electric  lights, but  i can see by  the 
 light that shines  in wherever the  dark 
 windows    are     missing    a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference  is the 
 higher  floors:  this building has none. 
 it is one  massive hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where  chains  are suspended, and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the middle  of  the great 
 hall,   a  thin  spiral  staircase  that 
 leads up there. i sneak over  there, and 
 take  a few reluctant steps.  after just 
 a  revolution, i notice  that  for  each 
 step the building  starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange, all the  piled  up debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i  stop ready to run  down and  out, but 
 there's  someone  else  on the staircase 
 with  me   now,   pressed  close.   he's 
 looking  like  me,  short hair  and thin 
 arms, but  with  ears  from some animal, 
 and more disturbingly,  completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear holds  me  in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating levers  and  dials set 
 in the center of  the staircase. slowly, 
 it starts  spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's   an  elevator!  i   start  to  run 
 downwards,  but   now  the   liquid  boy 
 creature grabs  hold  of  me. i  try  to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls   me    back   up    beside   him. 
                                          
 this  time, i  turn angry instead.  what 
 the hell?  who is this  guy, acting like 
 this? i reach out my free  arm and  slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal  bar   is 
 suddenly  released  between  us, hitting 
 him on the  arm,  forcing my release.  i 
 shove  him  off of me, and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,   a  thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain  is dropped around  me.  but the 
 elevator also  speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the   walls  are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl into a ball. but  then,  the  glass 
 boy  screams,   a  piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes back open.  i watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid, his  body  pooling 
 down  in his now massive  tail,  and the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of  in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward  the   factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on  the stairs, unable to 
 keep  his body upright. can't  reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally,  he's lost too  much of 
 himself  and  the  scream is cut  short. 
 the   last   of    him    rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach  the levers  from 
 within  my  cage. looking up, i  try  to 
 make out the  ceiling,  but it's  all  a 
 whirling sea of colours. below  me glows 
 the hellfire of  the factory walls,  but 
 very  faint. i sit  down,  curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large clunk  shakes my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still   moving  slightly, 
 clicking in place, carrying  me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i  slowly   dismount   the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking  and crying, i make  my way over 
 the factory floor,  wading through  dark 
 glass marbles. a quick glance  down, and 
 i  see  there's  something faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?   are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.